scholarly journals Distinct epigenetic programs regulate cardiac myocyte development and disease in the human heart in vivo

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Gilsbach ◽  
Martin Schwaderer ◽  
Sebastian Preissl ◽  
Björn A. Grüning ◽  
David Kranzhöfer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Prenatal Development ◽  
Cpg Methylation ◽  
Postnatal Maturation ◽  
Histone Marks ◽  
Differentiated Cells ◽  
Terminal Heart Failure

Epigenetic mechanisms and transcription factor networks essential for differentiation of cardiac myocytes have been uncovered. However, reshaping of the epigenome of these terminally differentiated cells during fetal development, postnatal maturation and in disease remains unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the dynamics of the cardiac myocyte epigenome during development and in chronic heart failure. Prenatal development and postnatal maturation are characterized by a cooperation of active CpG methylation and histone marks at cis-regulatory and genic regions to shape the cardiac myocyte transcriptome. In contrast, pathological gene expression in terminal heart failure is accompanied by changes in active histone marks without major alterations in CpG methylation and repressive chromatin marks. Notably, cis-regulatory regions in cardiac myocytes are significantly enriched for cardiovascular disease-associated variants. This study uncovers distinct layers of epigenetic regulation not only during prenatal development and postnatal maturation but also in diseased human cardiac myocytes.

Abstract 71: STAT3 Affects Myofibrillar Structure and Its Loss May Contribute to Heart Failure in Hypertension

Hypertension ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fouad Zouein ◽  
Carlos Zgheib ◽  
John Fuseler ◽  
John E Hall ◽  
Mazen Kurdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Systolic Dysfunction ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Patients With Heart Failure ◽  
Protective Proteins ◽  
Fractional Shortening

How hypertension causes heart failure is not known. Since patients with heart failure have reduced cardiac STAT3 and STAT3 KO mice develop heart failure with age, we tested the hypothesis that reduced STAT3 transcriptional activity contributes at an early stage to remodeling that precedes heart failure in hypertension using SA mice with a STAT3 S727A mutation. SA and wild type (WT) mice received angiotensin (A) II (1000 ng/kg/min) or saline (S) for 17 days. Hearts of WT and SA mice had similar levels of STAT3-induced protective proteins Bcl-xL and SOD2, and unlike STAT3 KO mice, cardiac miR-199a levels were not increased in SA mice. AII increased systolic blood pressure measured by telemetry in SA (124 ± 1 to 167 ± 3) and WT (122 ± 3 to 162 ± 3) mice to the same extent. AII increased cardiac levels of cytokines (pg/μg protein) associated with heart failure in both WT and SA mice, but significantly less so (P<0.05) in SA mice; IL-6, 13.6 ± 1.4 vs. 9.1 ± 0.6; TGFβ, 56 ± 4 vs. 38 ± 3 and MCP1 35 ± 2 vs. 22 ± 2. Compared to WT mice, hearts of SA mice showed signs of developing systolic dysfunction with AII as seen by a significant (P<0.05) reduction in ejection fraction (63.7 ± 7.1 to 51.7 ± 6.9) and fractional shortening (34.3 ± 4.9 to 26.4 ± 4.3). AII caused fibrosis in the left ventricle of both WT and SA mice characterized by cardiac myocyte loss and increased % collagen: WT+S, 5.59 ± 0.34; WT+AII, 15.70 ± 1.87; SA+S, 6.70 ± 0.40; SA+AII, 16.50 ± 1.91. In WT+AII mice there was a nonsignificant trend towards a loss of myofibrillar content of cardiac myocytes, but an increase in the mass of the myofibrils (IOD/myofibrillar area). In contrast, cardiac myocytes of SA+AII mice had a significant (P<0.001) % loss in myofibrils (5.71 ± 0.28) compared to SA+S (0.75 ± 0.07), WT+S (0.80 ± 0.06) and WT+AII (1.54 ± 0.10) mice. In addition, the mass of the myofibrils in SA+AII mice (6.01 ± 0.07) was significantly less (P<0.001) than those of SA+S mice (6.46 ± 0.04), although greater than WT+S (4.85 ± 0.06) or WT+AII (5.27 ± 0.08) mice. Our findings reveal that STAT3 transcriptional activity is important for proper morphology of the myofibrils of cardiac myocytes. Loss of STAT3 activity may impair cardiac function in the hypertensive heart due to defective myofibrillar structure and remodeling that may lead to heart failure.

C-myc protooncogene modulates cardiac hypertrophic growth in transgenic mice

1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (2) ◽  
pp. H590-H597 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Robbins ◽  
J. L. Swain
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Cardiac Mass ◽  
Hypertrophic Growth ◽  
Basal Expression ◽  
Pharmacological Stimulation ◽  
Beta Adrenergic Agonist

Protooncogenes such as c-myc have been implicated in the transduction of growth signals in the cardiac myocyte. We examined whether increases in c-myc expression occur in murine heart in vivo as a generalized response to the pharmacological stimulation of myocyte growth. Both triiodothyronine (T3) and the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol were demonstrated to induce a rapid and transient increase in cardiac c-myc mRNA abundance, which preceded an increase in cardiac mass. We then examined whether myocyte growth could be modulated by selectively altering cardiac c-myc expression. The model system used was a strain of transgenic mice exhibiting a 20-fold increase in cardiac c-myc expression. Although in nontransgenic mice the administration of T3 and isoproterenol resulted in similar increases in cardiac mass, in transgenic mice the degree of myocardial growth induced with T3 was significantly greater than that induced with isoproterenol (P less than 0.001). This study demonstrates that increasing the basal expression of c-myc in cardiac myocytes alters the growth response of the heart in vivo to certain hypertrophic stimuli and implicates the c-myc protooncogene in the transduction of selective hypertrophic growth signals in differentiated cardiac myocytes.

scholarly journals CXCR4 Cardiac Specific Knockout Mice Develop a Progressive Cardiomyopathy

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. LaRocca ◽  
Perry Altman ◽  
Andrew A. Jarrah ◽  
Ron Gordon ◽  
Edward Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Cardiac Hypertrophy ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Cardiac Dysfunction ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Subsequent Increase ◽  
Transition Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cardiac Phenotype

Activation of multiple pathways is associated with cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. We previously published that CXCR4 negatively regulates β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) signaling and ultimately limits β-adrenergic diastolic (Ca2+) accumulation in cardiac myocytes. In isolated adult rat cardiac myocytes; CXCL12 treatment prevented isoproterenol-induced hypertrophy and interrupted the calcineurin/NFAT pathway. Moreover; cardiac specific CXCR4 knockout mice show significant hypertrophy and develop cardiac dysfunction in response to chronic catecholamine exposure in an isoproterenol-induced (ISO) heart failure model. We set this study to determine the structural and functional consequences of CXCR4 myocardial knockout in the absence of exogenous stress. Cardiac phenotype and function were examined using (1) gated cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); (2) terminal cardiac catheterization with in vivo hemodynamics; (3) histological analysis of left ventricular (LV) cardiomyocyte dimension; fibrosis; and; (4) transition electron microscopy at 2-; 6- and 12-months of age to determine the regulatory role of CXCR4 in cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyocyte specific-CXCR4 knockout (CXCR4 cKO) mice demonstrate a progressive cardiac dysfunction leading to cardiac failure by 12-months of age. Histological assessments of CXCR4 cKO at 6-months of age revealed significant tissue fibrosis in knockout mice versus wild-type. The expression of atrial naturietic factor (ANF); a marker of cardiac hypertrophy; was also increased with a subsequent increase in gross heart weights. Furthermore, there were derangements in both the number and the size of the mitochondria within CXCR4 cKO hearts. Moreover, CXCR4 cKO mice were more sensitive to catocholamines, their response to β-AR agonist challenge via acute isoproterenol (ISO) infusion demonstrated a greater increase in ejection fraction, dp/dtmax, and contractility index. Interestingly, prior to ISO infusion, there were significant differences in baseline hemodynamics between the CXCR4 cKO compared to littermate controls. However, upon administering ISO, the CXCR4 cKO responded in a robust manner overcoming the baseline hemodynamic deficits reaching WT values supporting our previous data that CXCR4 negatively regulates β-AR signaling. This further supports that, in the absence of the physiologic negative modulation, there is an overactivation of down-stream pathways, which contribute to the development and progression of contractile dysfunction. Our results demonstrated that CXCR4 plays a non-developmental role in regulating cardiac function and that CXCR4 cKO mice develop a progressive cardiomyopathy leading to clinical heart failure.

scholarly journals Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 Activation within the Cardiac Myocyte Limits Ischemia–reperfusion Injury in Rodents

2016 ◽  
Vol 125 (6) ◽  
pp. 1171-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Lu ◽  
Honit Piplani ◽  
Stacy L. McAllister ◽  
Carl M. Hurt ◽  
Eric R. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Infarct Size ◽  
Reperfusion Injury ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Transient Receptor Potential ◽  
Ischemia Reperfusion Injury ◽  
Ischemia Reperfusion ◽  
Cardiac Injury ◽  
In Vivo Model

Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that cross talk exists between cellular pathways important for pain signaling and ischemia–reperfusion injury. Here, the authors address whether the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel, important in pain signaling, is present in cardiac myocytes and regulates cardiac ischemia–reperfusion injury. Methods For biochemical analysis of TRPA1, techniques including quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunofluorescence were used. To determine how TRPA1 mediates cellular injury, the authors used an in vivo model of rat cardiac ischemia–reperfusion injury and adult rat–isolated cardiac myocytes subjected to hypoxia–reoxygenation. Results The authors’ biochemical analysis indicates that TRPA1 is within the cardiac myocytes. Further, using a rat in vivo model of cardiac injury, the TRPA1 activators ASP 7663 and optovin reduce myocardial injury (45 ± 5%* and 44 ± 8%,* respectively, vs. control, 66 ± 6% infarct size/area at risk; n = 6 per group; mean ± SD; *P &lt; 0.001). TRPA1 inhibition also blocked the infarct size–sparing effects of morphine. In isolated cardiac myocytes, the TRPA1 activators ASP 7663 and optovin reduce cardiac myocyte cell death when given during reoxygenation (20 ± 3%* and 22 ± 4%* vs. 36 ± 3%; percentage of dead cells per field, n = 6 per group; mean ± SD; *P &lt; 0.05). For a rat in vivo model of cardiac injury, the infarct size–sparing effect of TRPA1 activators also occurs during reperfusion. Conclusions The authors’ data suggest that TRPA1 is present within the cardiac myocytes and is important in regulating myocardial reperfusion injury. The presence of TRPA1 within the cardiac myocytes may potentially explain why certain pain relievers that can block TRPA1 activation, such as cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors or some nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, could be associated with cardiovascular risk.

scholarly journals PDE1C deficiency antagonizes pathological cardiac remodeling and dysfunction

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (45) ◽  
pp. E7116-E7125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter E. Knight ◽  
Si Chen ◽  
Yishuai Zhang ◽  
Masayoshi Oikawa ◽  
Meiping Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Cardiac Remodeling ◽  
Cardiac Fibrosis ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Contractile Function ◽  
Causative Role ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte Hypertrophy

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 1C (PDE1C) represents a major phosphodiesterase activity in human myocardium, but its function in the heart remains unknown. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we studied the expression, regulation, function, and underlying mechanisms of PDE1C in the pathogenesis of cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. PDE1C expression is up-regulated in mouse and human failing hearts and is highly expressed in cardiac myocytes but not in fibroblasts. In adult mouse cardiac myocytes, PDE1C deficiency or inhibition attenuated myocyte death and apoptosis, which was largely dependent on cyclic AMP/PKA and PI3K/AKT signaling. PDE1C deficiency also attenuated cardiac myocyte hypertrophy in a PKA-dependent manner. Conditioned medium taken from PDE1C-deficient cardiac myocytes attenuated TGF-β–stimulated cardiac fibroblast activation through a mechanism involving the crosstalk between cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts. In vivo, cardiac remodeling and dysfunction induced by transverse aortic constriction, including myocardial hypertrophy, apoptosis, cardiac fibrosis, and loss of contractile function, were significantly attenuated in PDE1C-knockout mice relative to wild-type mice. These results indicate that PDE1C activation plays a causative role in pathological cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. Given the continued development of highly specific PDE1 inhibitors and the high expression level of PDE1C in the human heart, our findings could have considerable therapeutic significance.

Gene expression changes associated with fibronectin-induced cardiac myocyte hypertrophy

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Chen ◽  
Xueyin N. Huang ◽  
Alexandre F. R. Stewart ◽  
Jorge L. Sepulveda
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Extracellular Matrix Protein ◽  
Myocyte Hypertrophy ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte Hypertrophy

Fibronectin (FN) is an extracellular matrix protein that binds to integrin receptors and couples cardiac myocytes to the basal lamina. Cardiac FN expression is elevated in models of pressure overload, and FN causes cultured cardiac myocytes to hypertrophy by a mechanism that has not been characterized in detail. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression changes induced by FN in purified rat neonatal ventricular myocytes using the Affymetrix RAE230A microarray, to understand how FN affects gene expression in cardiac myocytes and to separate the effects contributed by cardiac nonmyocytes in vivo. Pathway analysis using z-score statistics and comparison with a mouse model of cardiac hypertrophy revealed several pathways stimulated by FN in cardiac myocytes. In addition to the known cardiac myocyte hypertrophy markers, FN significantly induced metabolic pathways including virtually all of the enzymes of cholesterol biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, and the mitochondrial electron transport chain. FN also increased the expression of genes coding for ribosomal proteins, translation factors, and the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Interestingly, cardiac myocytes plated on FN showed elevated expression of the fibrosis-promoting peptides connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein 2 (WISP2), and secreted acidic cysteine-rich glycoprotein (SPARC). Our data complement in vivo studies and reveal several novel genes and pathways stimulated by FN, pointing to cardiac myocyte-specific mechanisms that lead to development of the hypertrophic phenotype.

scholarly journals Stimulation of the cardiac myocyte Na+-K+ pump due to reversal of its constitutive oxidative inhibition

2015 ◽  
Vol 309 (4) ◽  
pp. C239-C250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin K. M. Chia ◽  
Chia-Chi Liu ◽  
Elisha J. Hamilton ◽  
Alvaro Garcia ◽  
Natasha A. Fry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Nadph Oxidase ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Pump Current ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Α Subunit

Protein kinase C can activate NADPH oxidase and induce glutathionylation of the β1-Na+-K+ pump subunit, inhibiting activity of the catalytic α-subunit. To examine if signaling of nitric oxide-induced soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)/cGMP/protein kinase G can cause Na+-K+ pump stimulation by counteracting PKC/NADPH oxidase-dependent inhibition, cardiac myocytes were exposed to ANG II to activate NADPH oxidase and inhibit Na+-K+ pump current ( Ip). Coexposure to 3-(5′-hydroxymethyl-2′-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1) to stimulate sGC prevented the decrease of Ip. Prevention of the decrease was abolished by inhibition of protein phosphatases (PP) 2A but not by inhibition of PP1, and it was reproduced by an activator of PP2A. Consistent with a reciprocal relationship between β1-Na+-K+ pump subunit glutathionylation and pump activity, YC-1 decreased ANG II-induced β1-subunit glutathionylation. The decrease induced by YC-1 was abolished by a PP2A inhibitor. YC-1 decreased phosphorylation of the cytosolic p47 phox NADPH oxidase subunit and its coimmunoprecipitation with the membranous p22 phox subunit, and it decreased O2·−-sensitive dihydroethidium fluorescence of myocytes. Addition of recombinant PP2A to myocyte lysate decreased phosphorylation of p47 phox indicating the subunit could be a substrate for PP2A. The effects of YC-1 to decrease coimmunoprecipitation of p22 phox and p47 phox NADPH oxidase subunits and decrease β1-Na+-K+ pump subunit glutathionylation were reproduced by activation of nitric oxide-dependent receptor signaling. We conclude that sGC activation in cardiac myocytes causes a PP2A-dependent decrease in NADPH oxidase activity and a decrease in β1 pump subunit glutathionylation. This could account for pump stimulation with neurohormonal oxidative stress expected in vivo.

scholarly journals Age-related decline of the unfolded protein response in the heart promotes protein misfolding and cardiac pathology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Hofmann ◽  
Erik A Blackwood ◽  
Tobias Jakobi ◽  
Clara Sandmann ◽  
Julia Groß ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Protein Misfolding ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Myocardial Dysfunction ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

Cardiac myocyte death during heart failure is particularly detrimental, given that cardiac muscle exhibits limited regenerative potential. Protein aggregation was previously observed in end-stage heart failure, suggesting protein-misfolding in cardiac myocytes as a contributor to the disease process. However, the relationship between protein-misfolding, cardiac myocyte death, and myocardial dysfunction is yet to be clearly established. Here, we showed that protein synthesis and the unfolded protein response (UPR) declined as a function of mammalian postnatal development, especially in tissues with low mitotic activity, such as the heart. A deeper examination in animals models showed that compared to neonatal cardiac myocytes, adult cardiac myocytes expressed lower levels of the adaptive UPR transcription factor, ATF6, as well as lower levels of numerous ATF6-regulated genes, which was associated with susceptibility to ER stress-induced cell death. Further reduction of the ATF6-dependent gene program in ATF6 knock-out mice led to the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the myocardium and impaired myocardial function in response to cardiac stress, indicating that ATF6 plays a critical adaptive role in the setting of cardiac disease. Thus, strategies to increase ATF6 aimed at balancing proteostasis in cardiac myocytes might be a fruitful avenue for the development of novel therapies for heart disease and other age-associated diseases.

Confocal and Electron Microscopy of cultured cardiac myocytes

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 364-365
Author(s):  
D.G. Simpson ◽  
R.L. Price ◽  
M. Terracio ◽  
L. Terracio ◽  
T.K. Borg
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Striated Muscle ◽  
Intercellular Junctions ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Cell Junctions ◽  
The Many

Early in heart development cardiac myocytes are spherical in shape, intercellular junctions are distributed at irregular intervals around the periphery of the cell, and myofibrillar organization is essentially random. As myocytes mature, they undergo extensive morphogenesis during which the phenotype changes to a tubular rodlike shape, cell junctions congregate at the distal ends of cells to form intercalated disks, and myofibrils become organized in parallel arrays typical of striated muscle. Although not fully understood, it is known that these changes are a result of interactive processes between intracellular components of the cytoskeleton, integrin membrane receptors, and the extracellular matrix (ECM).In vivo studies on the process of cardiac myocyte maturation and myofibrillogenesis are difficult because of the complex biochemical environment of the intact animal and the many extra- and intracellular interactions which are required for proper development and myofibrillogenesis. Unfortunately, in previously available in vitro modelling systems, isolated myocytes spread out over the culture substratum, assume a stellate nonpolar shape, and myofibril organization remains essentially random.

Abstract 154: CCDC80 Functions as a Protein Kinase GI Substrate and is Secreted by Cardiac Myocytes

2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M Blanton ◽  
Craig Cooper ◽  
Anja Hergruetter ◽  
Mark Aronovitz ◽  
Timothy D Calamaras
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Western Blot ◽  
Cardiac Myocytes ◽  
Cardiac Myocyte ◽  
Pressure Overload ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Transaortic Constriction ◽  
Human Left Ventricle

Background: Protein kinase G I alpha (PKGIa) inhibits cardiac hypertrophy, remodeling, and dysfunction. Downstream PKGI substrates remain incompletely understood and represent potential novel therapeutic targets for myocardial disease. We previously identified through a molecular screen that PKGIa binds and phosphorylates the protein coiled-coiled domain containing 80 (Ccdc80; also termed SSG1 and URB) in vascular smooth muscle cells. Previous work also identified that Ccdc80 is secreted from adipocytes. However, the expression and secretion of Ccdc80 from the cardiac myocyte has not been investigated. The current study tested the hypothesis that Ccdc80 is expressed in and secreted from the cardiac myocyte. Results: In cultured rat cardiac myocytes (CM), we detected Ccdc80 by western blot. Western blot for Ccdc80 also detected a band of the predicted Ccdc80 molecular weight present in media from these cells, but not in uncultured media. Ccdc80 could be detected in the human left ventricle (LV), though expression did not differ between hearts of normal controls and patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In the setting of LV pressure overload induced by transaortic constriction (TAC), we observed an increase in Ccdc80 expression in 1 week TAC LVs, compared with sham LVs (5.0 +/- 0.3 arbitrary densitometric units in sham versus 9.6 +/- 0.9 in TAC; n=4 per group). Conclusion: Taken together, our findings identify that the PKGIa substrate Ccdc80 expresses in cardiac myocytes, becomes secreted from CMs, resides in the human heart, and increases in expression in the mouse LV in response to pressure overload. Given the anti-remodeling role of PKGIa, these findings support future studies to understand the in vivo role of Ccdc80 in the cardiovascular system. Future studies will also explore the significance of Ccdc80 secretion from the CM and its potential regulation by PKG.

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